


A gift best left unopened

by summerrain24601



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 13:21:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5498537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerrain24601/pseuds/summerrain24601
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years have passed since the Inquisition became Divine Victoria's honor guard. Lady Inquisitor Lavellan and her love Thom Rainier had a daughter, who they named Vhena Rainier. Not long after Vhena's birth, Thom was ordered to Weisshaupt. Years have gone by, and Ellena has heard nothing from her Warden love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A gift best left unopened

**Author's Note:**

> I based this story off the Trespasser epilogue slide that you get if you romance Blackwall / Rainier and return him to the Wardens.

I sighed quietly, running my fingers through my hair. I looked out the window, at the sky, and the thoughts crossed my mind again. Years had gone by since I'd last heard from my love, and I had begun to lose hope. He'd sworn to return once his duty with the Wardens had been completed.

"I swear I'll return to your side," he said to me, years ago. But here, with the Inquisition as Divine Victoria's honor guard, I had heard nothing. And the wait was wearing on my heart.

I sighed and stood, walking away from the vanity where I'd been sitting. I walked over to the small bed that was at the other end of the room and looked down at the sleeping child covered by the blanket. My young daughter, more elven than any elf-blood I'd ever met, was to turn six within a few months. But it was still early, and I knew her nanny would be by in an hour or so to wake her up. I walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind me. 

"My lady Inquisitor, a messenger arrived for you," said a serving girl. 

"Thank you," I told her, watching for a moment as she walked down the hall. I followed, knowing there were people waiting for me there. Scout Harding and Cassandra stood waiting near the door, and the messenger was not far from them. 

"Inquisitor, a gift for you," the messenger said, handing me a leather-wrapped object. A sense of dread settled in my stomach, and I saw the concern on Cassandra's face that told me my face must have gone pale. I pulled with my teeth at the leather strip that kept the bundle tied shut, fighting back tears that I didn't even understand. When the leather fell away, I fell to my knees, hugging the small object to my chest, unable to stop the tears that fell. Memories rushed back to me… His voice, his touch, the dance we had shared at the Winter Palace, almost ten years ago. The look he gave me when he stood, hands bound, before me at Skyhold. The pain in my heart grew worse with every memory that forced itself upon me. I felt hands on my shoulders, and then another set of arms wrapped around my neck as someone embraced me, but I didn't care. 

For what had been inside the leather… Was the Warden-Constable's badge. And a single white feather. And I had been the one to send Thom Rainier to the Wardens.  
_________________________________________________________________

Cassandra watched, helpless, as the Inquisitor opened the leather-wrapped parcel. There was a moment when all was still before Ellena fell to her knees, clutching tightly at whatever had been inside the leather. She glanced at Scout Harding, who had started moving toward Inquisitor Lavellan already. Cassandra walked toward her friend and fell to her knees beside the elven woman, pulling the elf toward herself. 

She'd never seen the Inquisitor like this before, not even when they found out the truth about the one they'd come to know as Blackwall. When they'd gone to the prison in Val Royeaux, all it seemed to do was make her more determined to get him back. But the woman in her arms now seemed broken by this delivery. 

Eventually, she felt her friend relax as exhaustion claimed her. A small crowd had gathered, and Cassandra looked at Harding from where she sat on the floor. Harding nodded and started clearing people out of the area. That was when Cullen walked out of the crowd, with a few of the others behind him.

"What happened?" Cullen asked, confused.

"The Inquisitor received a gift of some sort," Cassandra explained. "It is still in her hand." Cullen gently pried the object from Ellena's hand, and gasped softly. 

"Well, I understand perfectly now," he muttered, showing the object to Cassandra. Her eyes widened when she saw it, and she recognized it immediately. 

"Let's get her back to her room," Cassandra said quietly.


End file.
